The best Easter events and activities in London

Wintershall Players return with their huge open-air re-enactment of ‘The Passion Of Jesus’ on Good Friday, marking the day the big man is believed to have been crucified by the Romans. Two 90-minute performances will be delivered by a cast of more than 100 actors and volunteers – plus a true menagerie of horses, donkeys and doves. Huge crowds usually gather for this event, but big screens ensure you won’t miss any crucial moments. The crucifixion scene is described as a ‘realistic interpretation’ – aka bracingly gory – so parental guidance is advised.

Dance your way through the Easter bank hol at one of The Cause's famed day parties. Norwegian disco king Todd Terje tops the expansive bill, which spans the globe and includes Chicago house and techno expert Hiroko Yamamura, rising Canadian star Honeydrip, and Berlin exports Sugar Free. There’ll also be heaps of London talent on the decks, too, including the return of Dalston party crew Disco Bloodbath, who’ll be performing together for the first time in nearly eight years. You’ll need sustenance to make it through all 14 hours of this party, and there’ll be plenty of scran on hand from a range of food vendors to help keep you in ship shape for a big start to your four-day weekend. 

Apart from during the Blitz and the pandemic, this Good Friday performance has taken place every Easter weekend since 1876, and 2025 marks its 149th year. The Royal Choral Society’s rendition of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ (an English-language composition written way back in 1741) is without a doubt one of London’s greatest Easter traditions, and thanks to its accompaniment by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, it promises to be a rather wonderful way to spend Good Friday afternoon.

The stunningly iconic gardens of Hampton Court Palace will once again be the setting for this Easter adventure. As you hunt for the Lindt Gold Bunnies that are dotted throughout the historic grounds, you can learn all about the legendary figures who have made their mark throughout the decades of this London landmark. The trail takes around 90 minutes and is self-led. Once you've found all the Lindt Gold Bunny statues, you'll be rewarded with your very own edible gold bunny (or non-chocolate treat). Suitable for kids aged between 3 and 12.

Get the Easter weekend off to a good start at this taproom party hosted by Tottenham-based brewery Pressure Drop. They’ve invited Liverpool-based Azvex Brewing, Floc. from Canterbury and Two Flints from Windsor to join a day-long mini beer festival. Expect fresh drops and special pours from the visiting brewers as well as a full Pressure Drop lineup. Expect a soundtrack of live music and DJs, and hotdogs from Walthamstow Dogs to soak up the booze. 

Sure, you could go hunting for delicious Easter eggs in the picturesque gardens of London, or you could take on a more urban challenge and take your search to a densely populated shopping area. Kick off your journey at the SoLo Craft Fair before venturing around Brixton Village with your club sheet in hand, solving riddles and busting challenges that will guide you through some of London’s best independent shops. Once you’re done, head back to SoLo Craft Fair and claim your prize – an Easter decoration for the kiddies or a tote bag for the grown ups.

Sinfonia Smith Square Hall is once again celebrating Easter with a week packed full of concerts showcasing some of London’s finest classical music stars. The programme features a mix of choral masterpieces and instrumental works, with each giving space for listeners to reflect and connect with the music and those around them.

Chocoholics rejoice! This Easter, Battersea Power Station will play host to its first ever chocolate market. That’s right, an entire market dedicated to chocolatey goodness. The Chocolate Station will boast stalls from some of the UK and Europe’s finest chocolatiers, including the oldest chocolate manufacture in Belgium, Meurisse. Vegans with a sweet tooth can stock up at Diana’s Chocolates, while there’ll be cakes, cookies and more available from the likes of Ritual Cacao and Midnight Pantry, plus bars, eggs and truffles from Cornwall’s Chocolarder, and many more.

Head to the Chelsea Physic Garden this Easter weekend and let the little ones unleash their creativity on the venue’s self-led art trail. As they make their way around, they’ll be able to fill out their trail booklet and learn about the plants and animals that call the garden their home. Reach the end of the trail and each kid will be given a small chocolate treat and invited to take part in a crafty workshop, where they can flex their artistic skills.

What’s better than a load of chocolate for Easter? A load of hard, cold cash of course! And that’s what Walthamstow’s expansive beer hall Big Penny Social is offering up this Easter Sunday when one lucky team in its Big Easter Quiz will be taking home the jackpot prize of £1000. And there’s plenty more to win, besides the wonga. Each team taking part will receive a chocolatey prize, and there’ll also be bar tabs, rounds of drinks and various other treats on the line. And we heard the Easter Bunny himself might put in an appearance. 

Easter is the perfect excuse to visit one of London's bougiest bakeries and score a batch of freshly baked hot cross buns: visit the likes of St John, Popham's or Toklas for rich, dense takes on a classic. Or go rogue at Gelupo, which is serving them stuffed with delectable ice cream eggs. Here's our rundown of this city's finest.

Henry VIII’s former gaff is already one of the most splendid-looking buildings in London, but fill it with 10,000 tulips and you’ve got something mighty special to look at. Hampton Court Palace’s Tulip Festival is one of the biggest planted displays of the colouful flowers in the UK and is a good excuse to celebrate the start of spring. See the buds pouring out of the Tudor wine fountain and in floating tulip vases, and spot rare, historic and specialist varieties. There are also expert talks on the flowers and craft activities themed around them.

The palace’s expert gardeners predict the displays will look at their best in mid-April, so don’t wait around to visit. 

The Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Spring Fair is maybe the most efficient way to cram as much Easter fun into a single day as possible. The gardens will be taken over by a ridiculously busy programme, with everything from an Animal Walk to an Easter Bonnet Parade. But there’s plenty more: think circus skills, singalongs, fete games and seed planting, all fuelled by some cracking cuisine from the roster of food stalls.

With GoBoat in Paddington, you can hire and self-drive your own boat make your way across London’s canals. Depending on how good your steering skills are, you’ll be travelling past London Zoo, through Regent’s Park and Camden Lock. Prices start at £95 for one hour. Sound good? Each GoBoat can have a micro crew of up to six people. Your days as a lonely sea captain are over. 

The Big Egg Hunt returns to the streets of London this Easter, with over 100 decorated large-scale eggs to be found in neighbourhoods across the city. Collect the eggs by ticking them off in the free app to win prizes. If there’s one egg in particular that really takes your fancy, you can bid to take it home for good in a silent auction, with all money raised going to support Elephant Family’s conservation work in South Asia.

Highbury wine bar Top Cuvée’s seems to outdo itself year after year with its ever-popular Easter egg hunt for grown-ups, and 2025 is no different. The enfants terribles of London’s natty wine scene have once again partnered with ethical choccie purveyor Tony’s Chocolonely for the fifth edition of their cult event, with full-sized Tony’s Easter eggs (going for twelve quid in the supermarkets) and a Top Cuvée tote on offer for up to 1000 hunters who complete the trail, and a grand prize worth a whopping £500. There’ll also be limited edition hotdogs from Twisted, plenty of wine and a few surprises throughout the day. Simply sign up online and rock up to Top Cuvée from midday on Easter Sunday to be in with a shout of taking home the goodies. Happy hunting!

If you’ve ever seen people hunched over the banks of the River Thames at low tide, chances are they’re part of the city’s community of mudlarkers who comb the river foreshore, which is only accessible for a few hours a day when the tide draws out, hunting for ancient objects which have washed up after being lost in the waters for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years.

See over 350 mudlarked objects, from intimate personal items to historical relics in this exhibition which explores what the artefacts say about London and reflects on how the moon creates the tides that make mudlarking possible. Blending archaeology with contemporary art and digital experiences, expect fresh perspectives on London – past and present.

German house and techno DJ Paul Van Dyk knows how to throw a party, and he’s coming back to London to proof it this Easter weekend. ‘The World Is Ours’ will see the award-winning producer turning up the atmosphere at The Cause for an outdoor daytime blowout, where you can be safe in the knowledge you’ve still got one more day left to recover before reality comes calling again.

Fed up of knocking back the same suds every time you go to the pub? This beer festival is all about independent beer that you don’t see behind the bar very often. Each ticket includes three 1/3 glasses of ‘festival favourites’ from 40 taps, as well as access to the blind beer tasting competition with a prize of a handcrafted beer stein from Earthwork Ceramics Studio. It’s a chance to discover a new favourite tipple and meet the makers behind it. 

Sunday lunch. There’s nothing quite like it. An elemental meal that Londoners take incredibly seriously, debates about what constitutes the ‘perfect’ Sunday roast have been known to last for hours. There is no shortage of top roasts in London. We’ve rounded up the city’s best Sunday meals from a host of homely pubs and restaurants all around town. From snug neighbourhood staples to more bijou gastropubs. A lot of these places get quite busy, by the way. So you’re always advised to book ahead to avoid disappointment.